


Sweetly, Before The Mystery Ends

by MicahBoi



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pining, between freshman and sophomore year, but it's supposed to take place over summer, i mean? lowkey?, i might be a lil drunk as i write this, let's be honest this is partially me projecting and partially me yearning, mostly just fluff tho, so forgive any ooc-ness, we get a sleepover babey!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 07:55:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24467581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MicahBoi/pseuds/MicahBoi
Summary: At his mother's suggestion, Riz invites the rest of the Bad Kids for a sleepover at his new office. Unfortunately there are some schedule conflicts, and Gorgug is the only one able to make it.
Relationships: Riz Gukgak/Gorgug Thistlespring
Comments: 16
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

Riz has always been a night owl. The concept of a “good night’s sleep” is foreign to him, really, and ever since the end of freshman year it hasn’t been at all uncommon for him to be at his office all night. Sklonda doesn’t worry if he doesn’t come home for days on end, knowing he’s likely just made a connection between clues or some new information has popped up in a case he’s working on. He is, after all, a newly licensed private investigator. She’s sure he has quite a bit on his plate.

And he certainly does. Beyond just the stress of his work and school, though, the young goblin is still learning to navigate the waters of friendship.

He hadn’t had many friends growing up, always seeming to be mature in a manner entirely different from his peers. While the other children his age had wanted to play sports or dolls, Riz had been more interested in books and puzzles and mysteries, in quiet moments of reflection spent piecing together the information that so many of the people around him seemed to miss altogether. And so, friendship is another foreign concept, albeit one he has embraced much more wholeheartedly than that of sleep.

“You know, Riz, your office is big enough that you could have your friends over for a sleepover,” Sklonda tells him over a 3 AM cup of coffee one night.

“My _office_?!”

“Or the apartment! I feel like it could be some great bonding time for you guys.”

“Our last— _only_ — sleepover was in the gym in the middle of fighting Kalvaxus. I feel like the concept’s got a bit of a negative connotation for us.”

“You could change that. Just invite your friends over, chill out for a while. I can grab you guys some food or something—”

“Mom, you don’t have to.”

“You really should invite them over. I’m not going to force you to, obviously, but I would encourage you to. It’s an experience that...Riz, I know you didn’t really have a lot of friends when you were younger. I think you should do your best to reach out and make an effort to connect with these guys.”

Riz sighs. “Yeah, I— I know. I’ll ask them. Can’t hurt, right?”

Sklonda smiles and reaches out to ruffle her son’s hair. “Can’t hurt.”

. . . . .

**The Ball** (today at 3:17 AM)  
Hey guys! I was wondering if you guys would want to have a sleepover sometime this week.

 **FabianAramaisSeacast** (today at 3:23 AM)  
It’s 3am, The Ball

 **Oracle** (today at 3:25 AM)  
I mean, I’m up

 **FabianAramaisSeacast** (today at 3:25 AM)  
Of course you are you don’t need to sleep

 **The Ball** (today at 3:26 AM)  
Sorry! I lost track of time. We should probably just leave this for the morning so we don’t wake up the other guys.

. . . . .

Riz sighs, setting his crystal down on his pillow as he unbuttons his shirt to change into pajamas. He tends to forget that most of his friends are better about sleeping than he is.

He curls up under the covers, having traded out his oxford and vest for a soft t-shirt and his dark slacks for a pair of shorts. He’ll check the group chat again in the morning. It won’t be too long before he’s up again, anyway.

. . . . .

**Gorgug T.** (today at 7:34 AM)  
i’d be down for a sleepover

 **Oracle** (today at 7:35 AM)  
Gorgug why are you up this early during summer break?

 **Gorgug T.** (today at 7:36 AM)  
it’s 7:30??

 **Oracle** (today at 7:36 AM)  
A lot of people prefer to sleep in during the break

 **Gorgug T.** (today at 7:38 AM)  
my parents were up working and i guess it woke me up

 **FabianAramaisSeacast** (today at 7:42 AM)  
You guys do realize I’m out of town, right?

 **Oracle** (today at 7:43 AM)  
Still?

 **FabianAramaisSeacast** (today at 7:45 AM)  
Yeah I’m gonna be gone for a while

 **Oracle** (today at 7:45 AM)  
Ew

 **LetsGoLesbians** (today at 7:46 AM)  
wait wait sleepover? hell yeah

 **The Ball** (today at 7:49 AM)  
Ok, so that’s a yes from Gorgug, a hell yeah from Kristen, a no from Fabian, Adaine I don’t know what you want, and Fig dropped off the face of the earth.

 **Oracle** (today at 7:50 AM)  
It depends on what day  
I’ve got some stuff going on

 **BassistFromHell** (today at 7:53 AM)  
uuuuuugh guys it’s so fucking early

[BassistFromHell added Gilear Faeth to the group chat.]

[BassistFromHell changed Gilear Faeth’s nickname to Yogurt Boy.]

**Yogurt Boy** (today at 8:02 AM)  
Figueroth, kindly watch your language.  
How do I change my name? I see that Fig has renamed me.  
This is Gilear, by the way.

[FabianAramaisSeacast removed Yogurt Boy from the group chat.]

**FabianAramaisSeacast** (today at 8:03 AM)  
Fig I fucking swear  
Stop adding Gilear to the group chat this is for the Bad KIDS not ur DAD

 **BassistFromHell** (today at 8:05 AM)  
what? am i not allowed to want to reconnect with the dumbass who raised me?  
anyway riz i’m sorry dude i’ve been crazy busy w the band lately  
writing some new songs  
dunno if a sleepover would fit into the schedule ):

 **The Ball** (today at 8:09 AM)  
That’s ok.  
Kristen and Gorgug are still a yes and Adaine’s still a maybe, right?

 **Gorgug T.** (today at 8:10 AM)  
fig do u need me for working the new songs?

 **BassistFromHell** (today at 8:10 AM)  
nah dude ur fine. we’re more worried abt melodies than percussion rn. go hang w riz

 **FabianAramaisSeacast** (today at 8:13 AM)  
Anyway good luck with the sleepover The Ball

 **The Ball** (today at 8:14 AM)  
For the three of you who were (potentially) available, how does Thursday sound?  
You could come over anytime. My mom said she can bring us food if you want.

 **BassistFromHell** (today at 8:15 AM)  
please make sure sklonda knows i would both kill and die for her

 **The Ball** (today at 8:15 AM)  
I sincerely doubt she’d approve of you engaging in violence on her behalf, but I’ll tell her.

 **Oracle** (today at 8:16 AM)  
Sorry Riz, Thursday’s out for me.

 **The Ball** (today at 8:17 AM)  
Oh, ok.

 **Oracle** (today at 8:17 AM)  
Actually this week in general probably isn’t going to work for me. There’s a lot going on.  
I’m sorry.

 **The Ball** (today at 8:17 AM)  
What about tomorrow?  
Oh, nevermind. Maybe later?

 **Oracle** (today at 8:17 AM)  
Maybe. I’m sorry.

 **The Ball** (today at 8:18 AM)  
Don’t feel bad, Adaine. It’s ok.  
Kristen, Gorgug, what about you guys? Thursday work for you?

 **Gorgug T.** (today at 8:20 AM)  
yeah i can do thursday

 **LetsGoLesbians** (today at 8:20 AM)  
yeah  
can i bring tracker

 **BassistFromHell** (today at 8:38 AM)  
lmao kristen i think u broke him

 **The Ball** (today at 8:45 AM)  
No, sorry, I got distracted. I guess Tracker can come.

 **LetsGoLesbians** (today at 8:46 AM)  
sweet

. . . . .

Riz pockets his crystal, downing the last gulp of yet another cup of coffee. In truth, he’d been hesitant to let Tracker come along — he has nothing against her, but he’d wanted the sleepover to be some bonding time for the party, like Sklonda had suggested. But if most of them won’t be there anyway, it really wouldn’t hurt to let Tracker tag along with Kristen, right? She seems like an alright person, even though Riz doesn’t know her all that well yet. Fig seems to like her, and Kristen absolutely _adores_ her.

Maybe that is why he was so hesitant. Sure, he understands that a romantic relationship would take a position of higher priority than just hanging out with the rest of the party, especially for someone like Kristen. Someone just working out who she is. But Riz is...hurt isn’t quite the right word. He just feels disconnected. Like the rest of the Bad Kids have social lives, and he has...his work. Nothing more.

His crystal pings.

. . . . .

**LetsGoLesbians** (today at 9:12 AM)  
hey, tracker said she had other plans for thursday evening and i lowkey wanna hang w her  
i hope that’s ok

 **The Ball** (today at 9:13 AM)  
I understand! Hope you guys have fun.  
That just leaves Gorgug, then? You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, since it would be just the two of us.

 **Gorgug T.** (today at 9:17 AM)  
do u not want me to come?

 **The Ball** (today at 9:18 AM)  
No, that’s not it! I’m just saying you don’t need to feel obligated to.  
If you don’t want to.  
You can totally still come over if you want.

 **BassistFromHell** (today at 9:20 AM)  
u guys wanna take this to private chat so the rest of us can focus on what we’re doin

 **The Ball** (today at 9:20 AM)  
Sorry!

 **Oracle** (today at 9:20 AM)  
Just silence your crystal Fig

. . . . .

Riz can’t explain why the thought of being alone in his office with Gorgug overnight makes his stomach flutter. He isn’t afraid of him. He’s seen Gorgug cleave enemies in two with his axe — _that axe is bigger than I am_ — but he is certain that the half-orc doesn’t feel any sort of animosity toward him.

Pressing his fingers to his temples, Riz lets out a sigh. _I just need sleep._

He opens the private chat.

. . . . .

**Riz Gukgak** (today at 9:23 AM)  
Were you still interested in coming over on Thursday?

 **Gorgug Thistlespring** (today at 9:24 AM)  
sure  
i haven’t asked my mom and dad yet but they’d probably be fine with it

 **Riz Gukgak** (today at 9:25 AM)  
I mean, I feel like going to a classmate’s place for a sleepover is probably less dangerous than going to school at Aguefort.

 **Gorgug Thistlespring** (today at 9:25 AM)  
lol  
do you want me to bring anything?

. . . . .

Riz blinks at his crystal for a moment. Do people normally bring things to sleepovers? What would he bring? What might he _need_ to bring?

. . . . .

**Riz Gukgak** (today at 9:27 AM)  
I don’t know.  
I mean, I’ve never really done a sleepover before.

 **Gorgug Thistlespring** (today at 9:28 AM)  
me either

 **Riz Gukgak** (today at 9:28 AM)  
Well, I guess we can work it out together, then.

. . . . .

Why does that response make his ears burn when he rereads it?

. . . . .

**Gorgug Thistlespring** (today at 9:30 AM)  
lol yeah  
i can ask my mom i feel like she would know

 **Riz Gukgak** (today at 9:32 AM)  
I mean, I imagine a change of clothes – something you can sleep in. Toothbrush and toothpaste.  
Another change of clothes for the morning, if you don’t want to wear the same thing twice in a row.  
Maybe a water bottle?

. . . . .

Riz runs through his nightly routine in his head, trying to work out what he can provide and what Gorgug will have to bring himself.

His nightly routine, though, usually seems to consist of him staying up way too late poring over the facts of a case. What is normal?

. . . . .

**Gorgug Thistlespring** (today at 9:40 AM)  
my mom said pretty much the same thing  
also a sleeping bag  
maybe games  
and snacks

 **Riz Gukgak** (today at 9:40 AM)  
Oh, yeah. That makes sense.

 **Gorgug Thistlespring** (today at 9:41 AM)  
cool. see u thursday then?

 **Riz Gukgak** (today at 9:41 AM)  
Yeah. You have the address for my office, right?

 **Gorgug Thistlespring** (today at 9:42 AM)  
not ur apartment?

 **Riz Gukgak** (today at 9:42 AM)  
The office has more space.  
I also don’t want to bother my mom; she doesn’t get a lot of sleep.

 **Gorgug Thistlespring** (today at 9:43 AM)  
ok that’s fair. i think i should have ur address

 **Riz Gukgak** (today at 9:44 AM)  
Ok! See you Thursday, then.

. . . . .

What is it about that whole interaction that has his heart racing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! i'm tired and v v emotional abt thistlegak rn but anyway there are. at least 2 more chapters in the works.  
> we'll see if i actually manage to see this one through; last fic i tried to write i gave up 4 chapters in lmao


	2. Chapter 2

Tuesday and Wednesday pass by in an uneventful blur, and Riz spends Thursday morning pacing his office. Gorgug can sleep on the couch, he figures – it _should_ be long enough for him to lie down fairly comfortably – and Riz decides he’d be happy to sleep on the floor, if he manages to sleep at all. He has spent the past few nights awake, either staring at the ceiling or pacing his room as quietly as possible. He can tell from the look in his mother’s eyes that she knows he’s struggling to sleep again, but she doesn’t know how to approach the issue with him. No matter.

His crystal rings, and he picks up immediately. “Hello?”

“Whoa, I didn’t know anyone could pick up that fast.”

Riz smiles. “Hey, Gorgug.”

“Hey, yeah, uh— when did you want me to come over?”

“Anytime is fine. I’m at my office already.”

“Oh, okay. Cool. I’ll, uh— I’ll ask my parents to bring me over now, if that’s alright? I’ll text you when we get to the parking lot.”

“Sounds good. See you soon.”

“See ya.”

Riz hesitates a moment before hanging up, tucking his crystal into a pocket as he pulls a chair over to the window overlooking the parking lot. He perches on the seat, arms crossed on the windowsill as he waits for the familiar bulk of the Thistlesprings’ van to trundle up the road. When it comes into view, he heads downstairs, Gorgug’s text pinging from his pocket before he is fully out the door. He locks the office out of reflex, glancing down to check his crystal even though he knows what it is.

. . . . .

**Gorgug Thistlespring** (today at 2:58 PM)  
hey we’re here (:

. . . . .

Riz heads down the stairs, standing just outside the glass door of the building as Mrs. Thistlespring parks the van and Gorgug clambers out of the back. He waves to Riz before turning back to the van and reaching into the back seat to grab a backpack, which he tosses over his shoulder.

“You have everything, buddy?” Mr. Thistlespring’s voice chimes from the passenger seat.

“Yeah, Dad.”

“Toothbrush? PJs? Sleeping bag?”

“Yeah.” Gorgug grabs his sleeping bag out of the back seat, tucking it under his arm and shutting the door.

“You have your retainer?”

“Dad!!” Gorgug flushes.

“What? Gotta take care of those pearly whites, bud!”

Gorgug checks a pocket on his backpack. “Yeah. I have it.”

“Alright, boys, have fun! Don’t stay up too late,” Mrs. Thistlespring beams from the driver’s seat.

Mr. Thistlespring chuckles. “It’s summer break, Wilma. Let them live a little!”

“I know, I know!” Mrs. Thistlespring smiles at her husband before turning back to Gorgug and Riz. “Well, you know, have fun. That’s the important part.”

“We will.” Gorgug steps away from the van, raising a hand to wave goodbye to his parents. “Thanks, Mom. Thanks, Dad.”

With one last wave, Mrs. Thistlespring peels out of the parking lot, leaving Riz and Gorgug standing alone.

“Do you want me to carry anything?” Riz asks.

“Ah, no, I think I’ve got it. Thanks.”

"Alright.” Riz opens the door, holding it while Gorgug steps inside.

“You’re on the second floor, right?”

“Yep! Up this way.” Riz leads the way up the stairs, unlocking the office and ushering Gorgug inside. Would it be weird to lock the door after they enter? Would Gorgug feel trapped, betrayed? Riz’s fingers twitch toward the key, but he doesn’t turn it.

“Make yourself at home,” Riz says, watching Gorgug gingerly take off his sneakers by the door and set his backpack and sleeping bag next to the ragged couch. 

Riz is suddenly acutely aware of how sparsely decorated the room is — really just the couch, the mirror in the corner, the corkboards on the wall, the folding table with the coffee maker, a couple boxes — but Gorgug is beaming ear to ear. “I can actually stand up in here. Kind of a nice change.”

Riz chuckles. “I’m glad.”

A moment of awkward silence, and then Gorgug digs into his backpack. “I brought Uno.”

“Oh?” Riz’s ears prick up. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Really? It’s fun.” Gorgug pulls out a little cardboard box, looks at it for a moment, and sets it on the couch. “Oh, my mom also sent me with some food — you want any? I’ve got, like...crackers? And fruit?”

“I have had _so_ much coffee. I’m good.”

“Oh, okay. Yeah.”

“Do you want some coffee?”

“Coffee’s not really my thing.”

“Oh. Okay.” A brief moment of awkward silence, and then Riz breaks it. “You wanna teach me how to play Uno?”

“Sure.” Gorgug settles on the floor next to the couch, opening the box. He begins dealing out cards, seven to Riz and seven to himself. “Okay, so you start out with seven cards, right? So—” he sets down the deck and flips the top card face-up— “this one’s a blue seven, so I could put down a card that’s either blue or a seven. There are wild cards too, to change the colour." His face grows hot, frustration gnawing at his gut. _Do I sound stupid? I probably do._ "I, uh— I’m not great at explaining things. I mean, but—”

“It’s okay, Gorgug. I think I get the idea.” Riz glances over the cards in his hand, then back to Gorgug. “Who goes first?”

“You can. Oh, one more thing— when you have only one card left in your hand, you have to say ‘Uno’ before I put down my card.”

“Got it.” Riz considers for a moment and then sets a blue three on the pile.

Gorgug smiles, wordlessly placing his card on the pile. Blue eight. Riz is acutely aware of how small the cards look in Gorgug’s hands, how big those same cards look in his own. Green eight. He wonders just how much bigger Gorgug’s hands are than his own. Green six.

Riz ends up winning the round. Gorgug laughs, full and hearty and real. “You know what? Maybe I will try some coffee. Maybe then I can beat you.”


	3. Chapter 3

They brush their teeth three rounds of Uno (two of which were won by Riz) and two cups of coffee later, standing side by side in the little bathroom attached to the office. Riz is on a stepstool in order to be eye-level with the mirror, and even with the added height he’s only up to Gorgug’s chest. His ears are burning.

Gorgug makes a face as he pulls his retainer case out of his hoodie pocket. He feels stupid putting the thing on in front of Riz.

Riz’s ears twitch slightly. “You have to wear a retainer too?”

“Orcs aren’t exactly...” Gorgug pauses, wrestling the plastic over his tusks, making a face. “Orcs aren’t known for having the best teeth. My parents want mine to be decent.”

“I lost my retainer. Haven’t told my mom yet.” Riz runs his tongue across the front of needle-sharp teeth.

Gorgug blinks at him. “Huh. Never really thought about goblin teeth.”

Riz laughs. “That’s a weird sentence.”

“I mean, I’ve only ever really thought about my teeth?” Gorgug attempts to defend himself. “I’ve never really had a reason to think about someone else’s. It’s not like I want to be, like, a dentist or something.”

“Fair.” Riz rinses with a mouthful of water, wipes the back of his hand across his mouth to catch the droplets that collect on his lip. Gorgug looks away. Riz pretends not to notice. “What do you want to do now?”

“What time is it?”

Riz checks his crystal. “Almost one AM.”

“Huh. Might be best to get some sleep, then.”

“I guess so.” Riz heads back into the office, Gorgug trailing behind him. “You can have the couch.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, absolutely.”

“Thanks.” Gorgug unrolls his sleeping bag and lays it out on the couch. “Can I borrow your bathroom to change?”

“‘Course.” As soon as Gorgug disappears into the bathroom, Riz follows his lead and also swaps over into pajamas, folding his shirt, vest, and slacks and setting them neatly atop one of the boxes. He wanders back to the chair by the window and plunks down there, leaning back against the wall and letting himself get lost in thought.

When Gorgug emerges from the bathroom, he’s in a t-shirt that sags on his frame and fuzzy pajama pants that are a couple inches too short. He’s got his sweatpants and hoodie draped over his arm, and he carefully folds them and tucks them into his backpack before settling himself on the couch. He watches Riz for a second before opening his mouth to speak, but it takes Riz a second to register that Gorgug’s talking to him and by that point he’s missed the question completely.

“Sorry, what?”

“Where are you gonna sleep?”

“Floor. If I sleep at all.” He half-regrets letting the last bit of that slip from his mouth, especially when Gorgug’s face clouds over with worry and — pity? — but it’s too late to take it back now.

Gorgug sighs, pats the space next to him on the couch. “Why wouldn’t you sleep? Stress?”

Riz heads over and settles himself next to his friend, suddenly more shy than he’s ever been around him. “Dunno. Maybe. I just have a hard time sleeping sometimes.”

Gorgug nods. “I get that. I have a hard time too, sometimes. Usually when I’ve been overthinking things too long. My parents tell me to, like...I dunno. They’re better at handling negative emotions than me.”

“What kind of things keep you up?” Prying, prying. Riz mentally kicks himself for asking, but Gorgug doesn’t seem upset. A little embarrassed, though.

Gorgug shifts a little. “I dunno. I feel like I’m...incompetent? Especially when I’m next to the rest of our party.” He blinks, and the words start tumbling out of his mouth before he’s really able to regulate them. “I mean, the rest of you are so brave and strong and smart — especially you; you’re so, _so_ smart — and I’m just....” He trails off, tears suddenly burning in his eyes and threatening to spill down his face. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, and it shudders in his throat. "I feel like I can't do anything. Like I'll never live up to whatever expectation people build up for us as a group."

Riz hesitates before reaching out to rest a hand gently on Gorgug’s arm. “I think you’re being way too hard on yourself. You’re a lot smarter and braver and stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

“I died during our first fight, Riz. I _died_. Would that have happened if I was stronger? Or smarter? If— if I’d been more strategic?”

“It’s entirely possible. That fight was really unpredictable. And I jumped up a corn-ooze-monster-thing’s _asshole_.” Riz shudders involuntarily at the memory. “You think that felt particularly smart?”

“It worked, didn’t it?” Gorgug mumbles.

“Besides, Gorgug, that was last year. We’ve all grown a lot since then. We fucking beat _Kalvaxus_.” Riz draws his knees to his chest, the tip of his tail flicking absently. “Who knows where we’re gonna go from here?”

"I guess you're right."

The two sit in comfortable silence for a long moment. It may have been two minutes or two hours, but either way, the awkwardness that hung in the air between them before has now dissipated.

It is when Gorgug turns to ask Riz a question that he realizes the goblin has nodded off, slumping over to sprawl gracelessly across the arm of the couch. He’s beautiful, even in the impossibly awkward position he’s lying in, and for a few seconds Gorgug doesn’t move. He just watches Riz; takes in the gentle rise and fall of his chest, the way the light of the quarter-moon outside catches in his long eyelashes and graces his skin with an almost ethereal glow, the way his tail swishes gently as he dozes. Gorgug smiles, folding himself onto the other side of the couch so as not to disturb Riz’s sleep. Questions can wait.

For now, the two sleep, sweet and peaceful in the predawn darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for reference, this is the "impossibly awkward position" riz falls asleep in:  
> https://a-boy-called-micah.tumblr.com/post/619982671998861312/questions-can-wait-whoops-my-hand-slipped
> 
> i don't intend to continue this bc it was a half-drunk gotta-jot-this-down idea but who knows maybe in the future i'll take it somewhere -eyes emoji-


End file.
